Feed and litter carrier.



A TTO \WEYS FEED AND LITTER CARR APPLICATION FILED APR. 25. 1906.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

FRANK G. HELD, MARTIN W. FOX, JOHN G. LUND, AND AUGUST JENSON, OF KENYUN, MINNESOTA.

- FEED AND LITTER CARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

Application filed April 25,1906. Serial No. 313,712.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK G. HELD, MARTIN W. FOX, JOHN G. LUND, and AUGUsT J ENSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Kenyon, in the county of Goodhue and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Feed and Litter Carrier, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to conveying apparatus, and more particularly to devices of this character supported by and adapted to travel upon cables.

The object of the invention is to simplify the construction of the conveying bucket or receptacle and to provide a carriage therefor which is of novel form and which cannot be easily unmounted from the cable.

A still further object is to provide means for automatically unlocking the bucket or receptacle at predetermined points and cause the contents thereof to be dumped.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of a carrier comprising a depending yoke between the arms of which is hung a bucket or receptacle which is normally locked in relation to the yoke by means adapted to be automatically released when the carrier reaches a predetermined point. A carriage extends from the yoke and has sheaves disposed therein in a peculiar manner and adapted to travel on a supporting-cable.

The invention also consists of certain other novel features of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of the invention.

In said drawings, Figure l is a perspective view showing the carrier supported by the cable, the trip on the cable being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the carriage and its hanger. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the carriage and showing the hanger in section. Fig. 4 is a section of a modified form of carriage and hanger. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the modified form of the carriage and showing the hanger in section. Fig. 6 is aperspective view of another modified form of carriage and hanger, a portion of the top of the yoke being shown in position therein. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 6, the lower portion of the hanger and a part of the yoke being shown in section. Figs. 8 and 9 are detail views of the lower portions of additional modifications of hangers, such as illustrated in Figs. 2 to 7, the cross-bar 4 being shown pushed upward out of normal position in each view.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 is a bucket or receptacle of any suitable proportions and having a notched flange 2 on one end. Pivoted to the ends of this bucket, near the bottom thereof, are the sides 3 of a yoke, said sides being connected by a cross-bar 4 at their upper end, which is formed, preferably, of angle-iron, as shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 2. A lever 5 is fulcrumed on this cross-bar and has one end connected by the rod 6 with aplunger 7 which normally engages the notch in the keeper 2, so as to lock the bucket in proper relation to the arms 3. A spring 8 is interposed between the cross-bar 4 and lever 5, so as to hold the plunger 7 normally depressed and to support in an elevated position an angular arm 9, formed at one end of lever 5 and having an inclined finger 10 at its end.

Extending under the central portion of the cross-bar 4 is an L-shaped hanger 11, which is riveted or otherwise fastened to the crossbar and is hooked at its upper end, as shown at 12. This hook straddles a carriage 13, which is U-shaped in cross-section and has depending ears 14 at the ends of the sides, between which are disposed sheaves 15, rotatably mounted within the carriage. The hook 12 is connected to the carriage by a pivot-pin 16, which extends through the hook and carriage between the sheaves and serves to support the upper end of the hook upon thecarriage, so that the hanger is permitted a certain amount of rocking or swinging movement.

Instead of forming the hanger and carriage in the manner described said hanger can, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, be formed with a reinforcing-rib 17 upon one face, in which event an angle-iron 18 is riveted to the lower end of the hanger and extends under and is suitably fastened to the cross-bar 4. Instead of causing the pin 16 to support the entire weight of the hanger and the parts connected thereto the hooked end 19 of said hanger may be provided with a sleeve 20, mounted in slots 21, formed within the carriage 22, so that the hanger is allowed a limited vertical movement independently of the carriage.

it is not deemed necessary to go into a de' tailed description thereof, it merely being desirable to provide a movable connection between the cross-bar 4 of the yoke and the member in which the sheaves are mounted.

The carriage herein described is adapted to be supported by and to travel upon cable 27, which may be held taut in. any preferred manner, as by means of bolts 31, secured to its ends and connected to a support 30. At predetermined points on the cable a tripping device is provided for the purpose of automatically releasing the locking mechanism of the carriage when the device is brought in contact with the trip. This trip comprises a U- shaped sleeve 32, the sides of which are spaced apart by pins 33, disposed below the cable and pivoted between the sides of the sleeve, and projecting therebelow is an arm 34, having an upwardly-extending finger 35, which is adapted to swing against the bottom portion of the cable when the arm 34 is swung in one direction, and thereby limit the movement of said arm and at the same time clamp the finger 35 against the cable. This trip can obviously be slid to any desired point upon the cable, and when the arm 34 is struck by an object moving in one direction it will be rigidly held in the path of said object by the clamping-finger 35, whereas if an object strikes the opposite face of arm 34 said arm will be swung upward and the finger 35 will be removed from engagement with the cable. This tripping-arm 34 is so disposed as to project into the path of finger 10 on arm 9 of the carrier, and therefore when the carrier travels in the direction of the trip said finger 10 will strike arm 34 and cause finger 35 to clamp on the cable and hold the trip against sliding movement. Arm 9 will therefore be depressed and withdraw the plunger 7 from engagement with keeper 2 and the bucket 1 will swing by gravity into an inverted position and its contents will be dumped. Should the tripping-arm 34 be struck by arm 9 while the carrier is moving in an opposite direction, this dumping operation will not occur, because the trip will be free to swing out of the path thereof. Considerable importance is attached to this construction of the trip, which looks automatically and need not be fastened after being moved to a desired point on the cable.

In order that the carriage used in connection with this apparatus may be given a return impulse as soon as the receptacle 1 has been dumped, a bumper is adjustablymounted on the cable. This bumper is of novel form and, as shown in Fig. 1, consists of oppositely-disposed tubular sleeves 53 and 54, upon which are mounted the ends of a coiled spring 55, which bears against heads 56 and 57, formed with the sleeves. One of these heads has an upstanding finger 58 and a depending weight 59, while the other head carries a pivoted jaw 60, from which extends a weighted arm 61. The finger 58 constitutes a stop for the carriage and the head 53 and jaw 60 constitute a clamp for holding the bumper upon the cable at any point to which it may be adjusted. After the trippingfinger 34 has been moved to a desired point the entire bumper is adjusted to a point adj acent thereto, and after the carriage passes the trip and the receptacle 1 has been inverted the rollers 15 will strike the upstanding finger 58 and cause sleeve 54 to slide along the cable and compress spring 55. The carriage will thus be brought to a gradual stop and will be given an impulse in an opposite direction, so as to be started back to its original position. By swinging the arm 61 upward, so that the jaw 60 will not engage 5 the cable, the entire bumper can be slid to any desired point where it will automatically look. In Figs. 8 and 9 are shown' other modifications of the carriage-hanger. The form shown in Fig. 8 is similar to that illustrated in Fig. 6, with the exception that the crossbar 4 is held in place by guide pins or bolts 62, which extend therefrom at opposite sides of the hanger and prevent longitudinal movement of the cross-bar within the hanger. Also instead of pivotally mounting the cross-bar upon a bolt 26, as shown in Fig. 6, said cross-bar can be supported above the bottom of the hanger, as shown in Fig. 9, and can be fastened thereto by a bolt 63, extending through a slot 64 in the hanger, thereby permitting the necessary rocking movement of the cross-bar.

While the use of a spring has been described in connection with the plunger 7, it will be imderstood that said plunger can be caused to operate by gravity, if preferred, the flange 2 constituting a support for holding the plunger raised until the notch in said flange assumes a position under the plunger, whereupon it will fall by gravity into position therein. In order that the plunger may be guided onto the flan e when the receptacle is raised into an upright position, the ends of the flange are curved downward, as shown.

The preferred form of the invention has been set forth in the foregoing description; but we do not limit ourselves thereto, as we are aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages thereof, and we therefore reserve the right to make such changes as fairly fall Within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is 1. In an apparatus of the character described the combination with a yoke, a receptacle pivotally supported therein, and means for normally locking the receptacle to the yoke; of sheaves, and a housing therefor, said housing being connected to and movable vertically in relation to the yoke.

2. In an apparatus of the character described the combination with a yoke and a receptacle pivotallysupported thereby; of a hanger having a hooked portion and connected to the yoke, said hanger being movable in a vertical plane independently of the yoke, and sheaves carried within the hooked portion of the hanger.

3. In an apparatus of the character described the combination with a supportingcable, and a carrier movably mounted thereon and embodying a normallylocked pivoted. receptacle, and an actuating-lever for said lock; of a tripping device adjustably mounted on the cable and projecting into the path of the lever, and means operated by the lever for clamping the trip upon the cable.

4. In an apparatus of the character described the combination with a supporting cable, a carrier mounted thereon and embodying a normally locked receptacle, and an actuating-lever for the lock; of a sleeve movably mounted on the cable, a trippingarm depending therefrom and into the path of the lever, and means integral with the arm for clamping the cable against the sleeve when the lever is tripped by said arm.

5. In an apparatus of the character described the combination with a supportingcable, and a carrier movably mounted thereon and embodying a normally locked receptacle, and a lock-actuating lever; of a sleeve slidably mounted on the cable, a tripping-arm pivotally mounted therein and depending therefrom into the path of the lever, and a clamping-finger extending from said arm and adapted to bear on the cable When the arm is swung in one direction.

6. In an apparatus of the character described the combination with a supporting cable; of a bumper adjustably mounted thereon and comprising oppositely-disposed sleeves slidably mounted on the cable, cushioning means interposed therebetween, and means on one of the sleeves for automatically gripping the cable.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto aflixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK G. HELD. MARTIN W. FOX. JOHN G. LUND. AUGUST JENSON. Witnesses:

ANDREW FINsrUEN, H. O. VEGGER. 

